An unhappy and unbalanced mood often brings up the subject of serotonin. This small molecule is a neurotransmitter, helping cells of the nervous system communicate with each other. Serotonin is notably called the “feel good hormone” or the “happy hormone” since its action is important in the brain’s chemical balance in regulating mood. It is derived from a protein building block called tryptophan, which is found in certain foods we consume. In the conventional medical treatment of insomnia, depression and anxiety, many drugs are targeted towards enhancing the brain’s balance of the neurotransmitter serotonin as a means of synthetic biological regulation of mental health. But what is less known is that over 95% of the serotonin in your body is actually produced by the enterochromaffin (EC) cells found in the gastrointestinal tract. When tryptophan rich foods like almonds, bananas, beans, chicken, eggs, fish, milk, soy and turkey (among others) gets ingested, a proper functioning digestive system has the task of chemically breaking down the food within the digestive tract. When tryptophan is taken up by EC cells, serotonin is produced which gets transported to the brain and nervous system to elevate mood. Serotonin also further stimulates proper digestive functioning by increasing secretions and gut peristalsis. Without the proper nutritional balance in our diet, not only are we affecting our overall mood, our digestion is ultimately affected as well. The brain-gut connection is so important in ensuring proper serotonin production that it most certainly should be addressed in cases of altered moods.